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4(No Model.)

o. J. MGGANN.

UNION RETURN POR PIPES.

Patented Oct. 28,

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OVEN J. MOGANN, OF PULLMAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO JOHN L.VANDERMARK,

OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,315, dated October28, 1884.

Application filed December 17, 1883. (No model.)

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Be it known that I, OWEN J. MCGANN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Pullman, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Union-Returns for Pipes,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in means for connecting steam,gas, or water pipes or tubes with the chambers or passages in steamradiators or heaters, tube-heads of sectional boilers, return-unions,and other analogous joints.

Heretofore in a sectional steam-boiler the chambers in a pair of'opposing tube-heads -have been connected together by one or more setsof tubes, arranged with their ends extending into or through one wall ofeach tubehead, a-nd engaged by couplings which were confined within thechambers of the tubeheads and bolted by tie-bolts to handhole platessecured to the tube-heads at points opposite the openings provided forthe ends of the tubes. The coupling insuch instance has consisted of aflat internallythreadedv ring adapted to screw on the threaded end of atube, and provided with arms converging from one edge of the ring to apoint where they imite to.form a hub, through which the .tie` bolt hasbeen passed up to its head, in which way the threaded end of thetie-bolt could be passed through the hand-hole plate, and a nut thentted on the threaded end of the tie-bolt, and tightened up against thesaid plate; but under such construction anend of the tube has beeneither fitted in an openingformed through one of the sides of thetube-head, and the threaded ring of the coupling adjusted on the end ofthe tube from within the chamber and fitted in a seat formed by anenlargement or offset at the inner end ofthe opening through the side ofthe tube-head, or the end of thea tube has been passed through the sideof the` tube-head, sopas to project'within the chamber in the latter,and the threaded ring of the coupling adjusted on the threaded end ofthe tube from within the chamber and then tightened up against the innerwall thereof. In either of said instances, however, the construction of5o the coupling has required the provision in the CII tube-head of ahand-hole and a hand-hole plate for closing the same, so that byremoving the plate the coupling could be introduced within the tube-headin order to connect it with the tube, in which way a large number of 5 5hand-holes and plates therefor were necessitated, thereby not onlyadding to the cost of the boiler and weakening its construction, butalso necessitating the manipulation of a number of hand-plates inconnecting or discon- 6o necting the tubes with or from the tu e-heads.

In addition to such objectionable feature in couplings required to beintroduced through hand-holes, it will be obvious that hand-holes andplates therefor would be next to impracticable in a return-unionconsisting of a small casting adapted to connect together two ends of apair of pipes.

The object of my invention is to obviate the necessity of providing ahand-hole and a plate 7o therefor2 in'order to admit of the connectionof the coupling with the pipe and with the wall of the chamber orpassage, to admit of the introduction of the coupling into the chamberor passage through the opening with which 'the 75 i pipe engaged bythecoupling is held in register, so as to establish a con nectionthroughsaid openings `between lthe pipe and the chamber or passage, and toconstruct the coupling so that after it has been introduced into thechamber or 8o passage and connected at its inner end with one of thesides thereof the outer threaded end portion of the coupling shall beexternal to the chamber or passage and connected with" the threaded endof a pipe at a point outside of the passage or chamber, with said outerend portion of the coupling drawninwardly against a seat which isexternal to the passage or chamber. To such end I construct the couplingwith a yoke provided with a central bolt or stem de- 9o signed tobeinserted through a perforation in the wall of a chamber or passage withwhich a pipe is to be connected, and at its base provided with aninternallythreaded ring adapted to form an annular shoulder in thecoupling at and 9 5 around the junction of the yoke and the ring,whereby the yoke can be introduced through an opening in one of thesides of the chamber or passage, so as to bring the annular shoulder upagainst the said side, and also so as to pass roo admitting ot' thecoupling being connected the end ot' the bolt or stein through apert'oral tion formed in the side of the chamber or passage opposite theside in which the opening` for the coupling is located, in which way thethreaded ring will lie outside of the chamber or passage, and can beheld seated on a seat external to the chamber or passage, thereby withthe walls of the chamber or passage through the medium ofthe openingusually required for establishing a connection between the pipe andthesaid chamber or passage, and also admitting of the pipes being connectedwith or disconnected from the chamber or passage without necessitatingeither the insertion ofthe end of the pipe through the side of thechamber or passage or of requiring the coupling to be introduced intothe latter through a hand-hole.

Figure 1 represents a section taken on a vertical plane through asteam-radiator, in which the pipes are shown connected with the box inaceordancewith my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 respectively represent on anenlarged scale a central longitudinal section and a side view of thecoupling device with which the end oi' a pipe is to be connected. Fig. 4is a section taken through thc end portions of two pipes connected witha return union in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 shows in sectionthe end portion ot a pipe connected with a T-joint, and Fig. 6illustratesapipe connected with an elbow in accordance with myi1nprovement.

rlhe principal feature ot" my inventiomwhich is shown in all of theseveral figures of the drawings, consists of a coupling or connectingdevice, A, adapted to be connected with the terminal of a pipe, and alsoto be secured to the casing ofa radiator, a return-union, or anyrequired pipe joint or union. This coupling consists ot' a yoke-shapedbody, et, uniting at the terminals of the yoke with aninternallyscrew-threaded sleeve or socket, c', and provided at itsmiddle with a screw-threaded shank or stem, cr. rlhe yoke unites at itsends or base with the ring at points sufficiently back from theperimeter of the ring, at one edge or end ofthe latter, so as to leaveat said end or edge a ilat annular shoulder, c, and to widen this seatthe ring is iianged at this end, thereby forming a suitable annularshoulder, which, when the coupling is employed, shall seat against theouter side or' one of the walls of a chamber or passage, and around anopening through which the yoke passes int-o said chamber or passage. Thesleeve or socket portion of this connecting device is adapted to receivethe screw threaded end of pipe, while its screw-threaded stein isada-pted to receive a nut or nuts for holding the coupling device inplace. (Shown in Fig. l, and also in the last three iigures of thedrawings.)

l'n Fig. l, B represents the box of a steam or hot-air radiator, and Cthe bent or return pipes connected with the said box by means ot' thecouplings A, each of which is fitted. in the box,

and connected with a terminal oi" one ot' the pipes. In this instancethe box will be provided in its top with openings B equal in diameter tothe greatest diameter ot' the yoke portion ofthe coupling, and in itsbottom has holes for receiving the screwthreaded stein of the coupling,so that the couplings connected with the terminals ot' the pipe can befitted in the box, and held therein by means ot' nuts D, iitted on thescrew-threaded stems of the couplings, and tightened up against the box,as shown. The diameter of the socket or sleeve portion ot' the couplingsA is greater than the greatest diameter ot' the yoke; or the sleeve isotherwise formed so as to provide a shoulder, a, which,when the couplingis iitted in the box, shall seat upon a boss, E, formed on the top ofthe box around the opening therein, and thereby allow a tight joint tobe made between the box and the couplings. 'It will be seen that thesleeve ot' the coupling .forms a continuation of the passage through thepipe, and that the yoke shape of the body of the coupling admits oi' afree communication between such passages and the interior of the box.

In Fig. #L two pipes are shown connected with a returuunion, F, by meansof the coupling A. In this instance a coupling is screwed on the end ofeach pipe, and the screw-threaded stems of the two couplings passedthrough openings .in the side ofthe return-union,after which nuts arefitted on the stems and tightened up against the outer side of the metalshell which composes the said return-union. This latter member isprovided at Vone side with openings for the screw-threaded stems ot' thecouplings, and at the opposite side provided with openings registeringwith the oppositely-located openings, but having alarger area, in orderto admit of the yoke-shaped body ot the coupling being inserted in thereturn-union, against which latter the shoulder of each coupling will beheld when the partsare connected to form a joint, as shown. In thisconnection it will be seen that either pipe can be disconnected from theVreturn-union without disturbing the other pipe, which will obviously beadvantageous where a number of pipes are employed-as in steam-heaters,in which two adjacent pipes are connected at their ends with areturn-union, one ot' the said pipes being connected at the opposite endwith a return-union, to which a pipe ot' the next pair will also beconnected. It' in such case the pipes were screwed directly into thereturn-union, a pipe, for example, in the middle of the set ot' pipescould not be taken out without removing all of the preceding pipes,whileby connecting the pipes with the return-union by couplings, asdescribed, the nuts can be loosened and the disconnection of one or morepipes at any part of the set be readily effected. In the last twoiigures of the drawings the coupling is shown as a means for connectinga pipe with a T-joint or an elbow.

In Fig. 5 the Tjoint G is provided at a IIO IZO

point opposite its middle branch with an opening for the screw-threadedstem of the coupling, which latter is inserted in the T-joint up to itsshoulder, and then held therein by a nut tightened up on its stemagainst the joint. In this case, as in all of the preceding figures-theinternally-screw-threaded sleeve portion ofthe coupling and the pipesare screwed together.

In Fig. 6 the elbow H has an opening for the stem of the coupling at apoint opposite the passage in one of its arms, and the pipe is screwedinto the coupling, which is connected with the elbow in the same manneras in the `preceding figures.

From the foregoing it will be seen the coupling is in the nature ofaskeleton frame having an iuternallyscrew -threaded socket or sleeve atone end for engaging the pipe, and at its opposite end a screw-threadedstem capable of receiving a nut, by which the coupling is held inconnection with the box of a radiator, a return-union, or otheranalogous joint; also, that the yoke-shaped portion of the coupling isplaced in the passage with which it is desired to connect the pipe, andhence that when the said parts are in proper connection y communicationbetween thesaid passage and the pipe shall be established.

In the instance hereinbefore referred to, in which a coupling has beenintroduced through ahand-hole in the side of 011e of the tube-heads of asectionalboiler, the yoke formed by arms extending from one edge of theinternally threaded ring and uniting at their outer ends to form aperforated hub has been provided with a stem consisting oi'abolt passingthrough said hub up to the head of the bolt. I prefer however, in mycoupling to cast the boltor threaded stem in one piece With the yoke andring, although I do not limit myself to such feature.

It will be seen that by reason of the annular shoulder a3 in 'mycoupling the yoke and stem can be inserted into a chamber or passagethrough an opening in one of the Walls thereof, and that it can bepassed into the same up to the annular shoulder a, which latter can bedrawn tightly against a seat formed around the opening through which theyoke passes. In this Way the threaded ring is external to the chamber orpassage, and also the pipe connected with the ring at a point externalto the chamber or passage With which it is desired to connect the pipe;hence the coupling can not only be employed for connecting tubes withthe tube-heads in sectional boilers, but can also be employed forconnecting pipes with passages in a variety of apparatus, ashcreinbefore set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I cla-im, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A coupling for the purposes described, consisting of a yoke providedwith a central stem, and at its base provided with aninternally-threaded ring constructed to form an annular shoulder in thecoupling at and around thejunction ot' the yoke with the ring7substantially as set forth.

2. A pipe system and a chamber connecting two or more of said pipes, incombination with a coupling consisting of a yoke, a stud, and ringthereon, said yoke projecting in the chamber and its stud through onewall thereof,a nut Working upon said stud and bearing against theoutside of said wall, and the ring bearing against t-he outside of theopposite Wall, whereby the seating of the coupling is entirely upon theoutside of and the chamber is tightened against the coupling, and t'lepipe is relieved from strain when tightening the coupling, substantiallyas described.

OWEBT J. llICGANN.

NVitneSses:

W. W. ELLIOTT, Grills. G. PAGE.

